Conditioning fibers



May 23, 1950 I u s 2,509,148

CONDITIONING FIBERS Filed Feb. 28, 1946 IN V EN TOR.

Patented May 23, 1950 CONDITIONING'FIBERS Edward "Hurst, :West Newton,eMass, assignorito B. iF...Perkins;i&Son, InaeHnlyeke;Massecurporation:of -Massachusetts ApplicationFebruary:28, 1946, Sei'iaLlNo.650920 11:Elaim. 1

This invention relates to improvemei'its intextile fiber conditioningand this application-is a continuation in part of an application, SerialNo. 35473749, filed' February'15, 1 946; pertainin-g' to apparatus "f orand methods (ifconditioning textile fibers.

The principal objects 'of the invention'iare directed to the provision"of a' novelmethodofconditioning 1 fibers by removingforeign substancestherefrom and treating said-fibers with a liquid *all to the end thatthe fibers are free fromaun- Wantedforeign matter iand'rin condition forthe utmost :efiicieney :and economy in subsequent :processingoperations.

' The invention is adaptedforbroadap plication :but will :be described'for purposes-of disclosure in connection with wool fiber. "Such-fiberusually containsconsiderable foreign' matter: and requires theapplication of'a liquid usually-of =an-=oi=1y nature for subsequentprocessingthereo'f.

The invention may :be employed at various stages in the processing ofthe fibers as between the first andnsecondacardingoperations orotherwise as may be: desired.

:Itis well known thatwool fibers contain foreign matter .or :bodieswhich*must be "removed 'nrv'separated 'therefrom for" the desired'resii.l.li' s/in subsequent processing of the fibers.

asuch foreign-substances may take many forms such as "vegetable:particles consisting "of a'burs, .seeds,-leaves, stalks, small twigs,and 'pieces of -Wod,\'manure, 'dirtand'the like which 'are usual-- alyeelongated bodies. The "bodies are considerably =.larger in size thanthefibers whichrare ordinarily the neighborhoodoi one thousandthof aninch fin diameter and have an inherent' tendency to cling". to the2sca-les:'or=- serrations 'ofthe fibers are usually disposedin:opposition :to= the fibers, "an'd are-entangledtherewith to largeextent.

It has been known to pass a thin web of fiber through the bite'o'fsmooth 'coacting pressure rolls an attempt to remove: foreignsubstanoes. or to facilitate the removal thereof but the results,however, have not been satisfactory for many reasons. More particularlythe *forign particles are crushed and fiattened-outiby theseI'QHSQSO'L'QJS to tend toadhere more securelyto the fibers: andrmake'removal difficult if not.-.i1npossible iwhile:thefibers-themselves are broken and otherwise-injured: by. the pressureemployed.

.-According to the novel features of thedinven- *-ti0n,; as willhereinafter .morexfuilly appean the fibers and foreign bodies are .sorelatively disposed that sa'id'bodies arereadily reduced by comminutingor pulverizingsin-to very small'rpar- .ti 'cles without injuryrtoithe;fihSITSESO as 'toibe rednovedfromethe. fibers. subsequent to whichssaidfibers are treated by or subjected to the action of a. liquid. In thepractice of the inventiom the foreign bodies are actedupontwithout.injuryzto tl*1e;fibe1=s. '-The fibers, "for the apracticeof the invention, still been some suoh'iorm .as *a Sliver withthef0reignibodies-idispersed therein;m.'haphazard ias hion r andintermingled wwith ttheifibers .as' -they :ordinarilyvare r in all formsofiifiber.

'l in .ith'eiqdrawings the Ifigune :isaa diagrammatic sectionalelevational :vieiv tthrough .anzzapparatus a daptediforthepraetice ofthe 'invention.

lReferring: now toc theidrawings more .inaietai i, the 5 invention willbe fully :described.

Drawing rollszifiiare arranged-inpairssipflsaml 5 1 and the :sliver isapassed "into -;and--.-through"the pairs: of wells; successively.

:EBy;:passingztheisliver throughxthe drawingfirolls it :is:progressively flattened and attenuated -50!.idrawnxoutdosiorm;a':re1atiyely.thin web. L'By'the drawing, actiontheifibersaare elongatedjfrom their 'natunalrmore lOf-IGISSLklDkGdcondition-and ;brought into.iparailelism'zwhich taction tendsrto ibringthe partielescor bodies .of' foreign --matter which are usually.eiongateclzinto parallelism withstheifibers. iThat sis, the foreignsubstances which xare ordinarilyielongated bodies are displacedafrom'their haphazard positions ainto.lsubstantialparallelism relativettoithefibers 'iorathecaction -'of1-mea-nsijfor commimiting; or; reducing: the;foreign bodies.-

Theiwebiasiti leavestherolls: 6 is very thinzand praeticallygossamer-like and isireceivedsioetween Fan extender to imnsisting :ofcoacting rolls l2 :which mare Jmaintamed 1 in iayielding engagementforayieiding pressure.

These extender rolls 51ZsilliflfigfihfiilEi-WWRW ain? :proi/iidedwithesurfaees .iozfmed 1 with axially or .iengitudmally aextending verysmall coasting-sal- ;ternateateeth and tgroovestarranged Zandvadapted:for 2a.:r'0lli-ng andzslidingqantion, iAs-the thin meb therehetweenithe teeth sact son the foreign afbodies :in'zsaeh J3, away; gas :todivide a'them intoi shorteriiengthsirby-.=.a' tensioningand slidingzaietion. lT-hezsa-idzteeth:arearrangediandaadanted -toi mteonttheiforeign bodies. with the SHdiHgZTfi-Rd smiling aaetion s soithat.-.-said =hodieis ':are :not :only divided butLtli-ere may. beisomerpulverizing action well; all ithontzinjuryitotthe"fibers. Thisrisito: be :iiistinguished :from the action :of coacting smoothfi-SlLlffaGed pressure rolls swliich pressmn the QifQiIfiigIl-i bodies ato .ernsh z and :zfia-tten: them zas well asgpress 10H thezzbersatotinjure-thern.

.if romlithesexterider I102 the TW.6b,TWithTth8iiS b iii-visions efizheforeignrhodies: in parallelismw th :thei'fibers,iisareceivedrbyeandpasses hetweenra second. sextencler Hi 2 formed by zcoaxitiriggrrolls.1115 are. yildi-ngly: maintainedain operative-zen easement:for exertingr yieldin pressure.

' These rollsifixhave surfaces termed withilongituuinall-yispaeedcircumierentiaily:extendingzialternate coacting teeth and grooves. Thethin web of fibers including the shorter lengths of foreign bodiespasses between these extender rolls the teeth of which are adapted toact on the foreign bodies with a sliding or splitting action for alengthwise splitting or separation thereof without injury to the fibers.

By subjecting the fibers to the drawing action so as to align theforeign bodies with the fibers and then subjecting the bodies to thefirst and Second extenders the said bodie are first separatedlongitudinally into relatively shorter lengths which are splitlengthwise. The operations referred to result in a very great reductionin the size of the foreign bodies so that the particles are easily andreadily released by the fibers.

From the extender M the web of fibers is received on and transported bya foraminou cylinder or screen is rotatable in one direction relative toa stationary hollow tube '20 which is provided with a slot 2!, then ontoa similar screen 22 rotatable in an opposite direction relative to astationary hollow tube 24 which is also provided with a slot 25. The webis delivered from the screen 22 onto a delivery device which may be abelt 28 propelled by a roll 30.

As the Web leaves the screen 22 the web moves past a device 32 forapplying moisture thereto. Said device may have as many dischargeorifices or discharge ports as may be desired.

The hollow tubes or cylinders 20 and 22 will be connected to a suitablesource of suction so that there will be a suction action at the slotsthereof and through the screens. The liquid delivery member 32 will beconnected to a supply of liquid to be applied to the fibers of the web.

The screens I8 and 22 and the cylinders 20 and 24 will be subjected to avibrating or a shaking action similar to the vibrations imparted to thewire of a Fourdrinier paper making machine by a shake mechanism or mayin some other well known manner be vibrated at relatively high frequencyand small amplitude.

The various rolls, screens and rotatable elements will be operativelyconnected in timed relation for the desired relative speeds so as to"obtain the desired drafting of the fibers. There may be draftingbetween the pair of rolls 6 and the extender I and extender I4 shouldthe same be desirable and the web will leave extender M at aconsiderable lineal speed.

As the web of fibers leaves the extender I4 and is received on thescreen 18 it is transported circularly in one direction at high linealspeed and being vibrated the foreign particles fall from and are thrownfrom the web and as the web passes over the slot 21 of cylinder 20 it issubjected at one side to suction to further remove particles. Then asthe web is received on and transported by the screen 22 in an oppositedirection the vibrating action eliminates particles while as the webpasses over slot 25 it is subjected on its opposite side to suction.Thus by transporting the web so that opposite sides are disposedoutermost and at the same time vibratil'lg the web in conjunction withsubjecting opposite Sides of the web to suction the foreign particlesare eliminated so that clean fibers are moved past the liquid applyingmeans onto the discharge means. The foreign particles may be received inhoppers 34 and 36 and otherwise are drawn from the cylinders 20 and '24by suction.

The liquid to be applied to the very thin web may take various forms onecommon form of which is an oily substance, or an emulsion including asuitable oily constituent. The liquid will preferably be atomized orsprayed onto the fibers of the web in a direction agreeing with thedirection of movement of the web which is moving at a high rate ofspeed. It is desired that the fibers or the formation of the web be notdisturbed and is accomplished by directing the liquid as described anddischarging it so that it strikes the web at a velocity agreeing withthat of the web or at a slightly greater speed.

It is desired that the sliver be free from oil prior to the action ofthe rolls. When oil is applied to fibers containing foreign substancesit not only tends to cause foreign substances to adhere to the fibersbut applied to such fiber it is not distributed uniformly so as tounfavorably affect yarn sizes, dyeing operations and the like.

When applied after the removal of the foreign particles according tothis invention, a minimum of oil will be used and the desired uniformdistribution obtained all to the end that the fibers are conditionedeconomically and efficiently for subsequent processing thereof.

Altogether a novel method of conditioning fibers is provided whereinrelated steps are performed in sequence and cooperate with one anotherfor the desired results.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely asbeing illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of theinvention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by theforegoing description, and all modifications and variations as fallwithin the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appendedclaim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

A continuous method of removing foreign bodies from a sliver of fiberswhich consists in, drawing said sliver into the form of a gossamer likeweb to bring the fibers into substantial parallelism and position theforeign bodies in substantial parallelism therewith, subjecting the webto the action of first means to divide the foreign bodies transverselyinto shorter lengths, subjecting the Web to the action of second meansto split the lengths of foreign bodies lengthwise into particlesdisposed in substantial parallelism with the fibers, and in subjectingsaid web to centrifugal force, vibrations and suction to remove theparticles therefrom.

EDWARD HURST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 44,951 Harwood Nov. 8, 1864662,887 Swenson Nov. 27, 1900 701,183 Ellis May 27, 1902 2,323,167 VargaJune 29, 1943 2,420,033 Fairbairn May 6, 1947 2,420,035 Fairbairn May 6,1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3,713 Great Britain 1887251,936 Great Britain Dec. 2, 1926

